WATCH: The deadline to opt out of BC’s new speculation tax is March 31, though people who reply late won’t be penalized.
The deadline to opt out of BC’s new speculation tax is March 31 but people who reply late won’t be penalized.
On Vancouver Island, municipalities within the CRD, as well as Nanaimo and Lantzville, are subject to the tax.
The Juan de Fuca Electoral Area and the Southern Gulf Islands are excluded.
On the mainland, most of Metro Vancouver, along with Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Kelowna and West Kelowna are included.
As of last Friday, the province says more than 88 per cent of declarations have been completed.
A total of 1.6 million were sent out in January.
There have been some complaints about the process.
“You can’t fill out the form on paper. There is no paper form. It’s either you do it on the computer or you telephone. And on the telephone, a complex case is very difficult to work through,” said B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver.
But the province says the process has mostly been smooth.
“Certainly the people that I’ve talked to… in fact, it became a bit of a game for people who were posting how long it took them to see if they could be faster than their neighbours or their friends,” said B.C. Finance Minister Carole James.
She noted that the declaration can be completed in as little as a few minutes.
Anyone experiencing difficulty can contact the province’s hotline at 1-833-554-2323, open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week and available in multiple languages.
Calvin To
